ENERGY TECHNOLOGY FACT SHEET

Bioenergy
Bioenergy is derived from biomass - a term that generally
refers to any plant or animal matter. Bioenergy in the
form of heat or electricity can be produced by using bio-
mass directly as a fuel or by converting it to biogas or
liquid biofuels. This factsheet describes the commercial
energy uses of biomass.

The Technology
Residues from crops can be gasified and combusted to provide
The main sources of biomass include:
heat and power. (Photo courtesy Warren Gretz and NREL.).
• Industrial and agricultural wastes and residues,
such as sugar cane waste (bagasse), wood waste most common technologies to utilize bioenergy is a
from forestry operations, and residues from other cookstove.
short rotation crops such as straw and husks
• organic wastes from animal husbandry The keys to an economically viable bioenergy project are
• energy crops, such as sugar cane, corn and trees the type, quantity required and cost of the biomass re-
grown in short-rotation plantations.

The main processes for utilizing these biomass sources Costs

include: Direct combustion: $0.06-0.10/kWh*
• direct combustion, usually of solids, in boilers or crop residue: $2.5-3.0/GJ*
furnaces plantation crops: $1.6/GJ (Brazil)
• gasification via a physical or chemical conversion $3.0/GJ (US)
process to a secondary gaseous fuel, followed by Transport fuels:
combustion in an engine, boiler or turbine ethanol from sugar $15-25/GJ
• biological conversion, via bacterial anaerobic diges- ethanol from cellulose $10-15/GJ
tion to methane-rich biogas for use as a gaseous fuel methanol $11-13/GJ
hydrogen $ 8-10/GJ
• chemical or biochemical conversion to produce
methanol, ethanol or other liquid fuels. * kWh = kilowatt-hour, GJ = gigajoule
sources: World Energy Assessment and IEA
Many combinations of biomass source, process and tech-
nology are possible. In general, materials with high
moisture content (such as sugar cane) are more suited to Key Points:
biochemical conversion and anaerobic digestion than to • Biomass is a widely distributed but variable re-
other forms of conversion. Direct combustion is the most source that can be converted to bioenergy in the
fully developed process. form of heat and electricity.
• Bioenergy can be produced in a wide variety of
A bioenergy project can often be designed to co-generate processes using a number of technologies to
both heat and electricity, increasing its overall energy meet both large-scale and small-scale needs.
efficiency and financial viability. Such projects may also • Biomass is renewable and carbon-neutral only if
create a cost-effective solution to the disposal of agri- it is grown at the same rate it is harvested.
cultural or industrial wastes that may otherwise become • Biomass resources may not be sufficient to en-
potential environment problems. sure continuous operation and their availability
can be influenced by natural events such as
Bioenergy projects can be built in a wide range of sizes weather and pests.
and for a wide range of applications. Projects can be as • Political motivations to reduce atmospheric car-
large as 100 megawatt (MW) power stations generating bon may create new market opportunities for
both electricity and heat. Bioenergy projects can also be bioenergy.
small enough to produce the lighting and cooking energy
for a single household or village. At this level, one of the

UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics • Energy and OzonAction Unit
www.uneptie.org/energy
source. Projects are generally more cost-effective when
waste products from some production process are utilized
(such as sugar bagasse or sawmill residue). For many
bioenergy applications, however, big is not necessarily
better as transporting the biomass fuel or feedstock over
larger distances can decrease the economic viability of
projects.
In addition, some agricultural wastes are available only
during certain times of the year and may have to be
stored if they are to be used as a continuous fuel. This
can be difficult, expensive and require special equipment
or storage facilities. An alternative to storing biomass is
to use other fuels, such as natural gas, during these peri-
ods. This may allow a more efficient, continuous and
profitable operation, but will also usually increase the
project’s capital cost.
Project Risks
Technology: Technologies for combustion, fermen-
tation, and anaerobic digestion are proven and in
wide scale use.
Environmental: Land use changes can present some
risk through impacts on soil, water and air quality,
and biodiversity.
Planning: Resource security can be the biggest risk.
In addition to regulatory approvals that may require
lengthy planning and environmental assessments, the
availability of a biomass resource can be greatly
influenced by weather and natural disasters. Power
purchase agreements are usually standardized for
bioenergy power plants.

The intermittent availability of a biomass resource is an

issue for many bagasse-fired electricity plants that oper-
ate only during sugar harvesting periods. The liberaliza-
tion of electricity markets in some countries has created
an economic opportunity to invest in facilities and
equipment that allows such projects to generate electric-
ity in non-harvesting periods, thus generating higher
revenues.
on air quality may also be a potential issue for combus-
tion-type bioenergy projects and may require lengthy
environmental assessments before such projects are ap-
proved. The use of energy crops to produce methanol, for
example, requires pretreatment of the feedstock, its con-
version to a gas, and a process to remove some pollutants
from the gas before the final conversion to methanol.

Energy systems powered by biomass have several poten-
tial environmental advantages and disadvantages. Bio-
mass resources are generally renewable, but only if the
resource is harvested at the same rate it is grown and soil
nutrients are not depleted. Growing biomass absorbs as
much carbon from the atmosphere as is released when it
is combusted or converted to biofuels. Practically, some
system losses occur, however, and bioenergy projects are
not strictly carbon neutral.
Other issues that may influence the viability of a bio-
energy project, particularly larger projects, include com-
petition for land-use, public resistance to proposed land-
use changes, and the complexity of co-ordinating a range
of activities and institutions (farmers, utilities, transport
companies, etc). For these reasons, an intensive planning
and management process is usually required and may
also need to address these issues at local, regional and
national levels.

The low net carbon outputs of bioenergy developments The Industry and Market Trends
makes them less risky in a global political climate that Biomass accounts for about 15 percent of global primary
increasingly favors carbon reductions. There may also be energy use and 38 percent of the primary energy use in
economic advantages if carbon-trading developing countries where fuelwood is
schemes become a prominent means of used for cooking and heating. The
meeting carbon reduction targets. In addition largest and most successful energy crop
to potential greenhouse abatement benefits, programmes are the US effort producing
bioenergy projects can address many other ethanol from corn (4 billion litres in
environmental issues such as decreasing soil 1999) and the Brazilian effort producing
erosion, controlling nitrogen run-off, and ethanol from sugar cane (14 billion litres
protecting watersheds. The correct selection of in 1999).
plant species can result in the profitable pro-
duction of energy-crops in marginal or About 14,000 MW of biomass-fired
degraded areas. Additional environmental power generation is currently in
benefits may include increased food-crop operation with about half this capacity lo-
yields and decreased fertiliser use with some cated in the US. Many of these power
species. projects, however, operate on steam-
turbine technology introduced about 100 years ago. Often
The potential disadvantages of bioenergy projects include these plants have a low conversion efficiency that can be
unsustainable impacts on soil and water resources. The significantly improved with new technology. As fossil
inappropriate selection of species or management strate- fuel prices rise, bioenergy projects to create electricity or
gies, for example, can lead to land degradation. Impacts liquid fuels are becoming increasingly competitive.
UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics • Energy and OzonAction Unit
www.uneptie.org/energy